Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra / İlyun Bürkev / Cem Mansur

National Youth Jazz Orchestra

National Open Youth Orchestra: Ring Out!

Experience the emotionally charged performances of one of the most exciting youth orchestras in the world.

National Youth Orchestra of Germany / Wayne Marshall

Together with the German-British Choral Academy conducted by Wayne Marshall, Germany’s top young orchestral players present a programme dedicated to Britten, Holst and Gershwin – »very British«, in other words. The evening begins with Britten’s classic »The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra«, a piece that continues to playfully familiarise young audiences with the full range of orchestral instruments – and which also skilfully showcases the talent of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany this evening. Gershwin’s »Rhapsody in Blue« forms the centrepiece, and not altogether surprisingly: Gershwin is a speciality of Wayne Marshall’s. A classic that skilfully combines jazz elements with blues and concertante symphonic music and perhaps the composer’s most famous piece, which celebrated its world premiere in New York’s Aeolian Hall some 100 years ago.The evening ends with Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite »The Planets«, which is considered with good reason the forerunner of many a film score. The German-British Choir Academy participates as a cosmically enchanting distant choir.

Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra / Zlatomir Fung / Benjamin Zander

The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra is one of the finest youth orchestras in North America. The orchestra is celebrated worldwide in its performances in major concert halls such as the Vienna Musikverein, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the KKL Lucerne, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Berlin Philharmonie and Carnegie Hall in New York. On its European tour in 2024, the orchestra will now make its debut at the Elbphilharmonie together with its founder Maestro Benjamin Zander and the up-and-coming cellist Zlatomir Fung.

NATIONAL YOUTH BALLET: Die Unsichtbaren

John Neumeier's "The Invisibles" explores how Germany opened to modern dance in the 1920s and what happened after the Nazis seized power. It reflects Germany's pioneering role in dance before 1933, highlighting influential choreographers like Rudolf von Laban and Mary Wigman. Using text, song, music, and dance, it shows how the Nazis changed the dancers' situation. An accompanying exhibition honors the victims and persecuted from the dance world. The piece aims to bring to light what lay in shadow, making it visible for today and the future.

Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra / Volodymyr Syvokhip

At the centre of this extraordinary concert evening is the German premiere of »Resilience« – a Sinfonia concertante for two flutes, string orchestra and percussion by German composer Thomas Emanuel Cornelius, composed for this programme. His work is an artistic response to the challenges of our time: a sound world between fragility and strength, a musical plea for resilience, humanity and cohesion.

German National Youth Orchestra, Patrick Lange and Midori

Beethoven's legendary letter to the “Immortal Beloved” inspired Detlev Glanert to write his Second Violin Concerto. Glanert wrote a work full of longing and passion for the violinist Midori; he has admired her since her days as an internactionally-acclaimed child prodigy. Midori is also the soloist in this performance with the National Youth Orchestra under the direction of Patrick Lange. The orchestra, of which the Berliner Philharmoniker is a patron, will also play Johannes Brahms' First Piano Quartet in Arnold Schoenberg's colourful orchestration.

El Sistema National Orchestra

El Sistema National Orchestra is a youth orchestra with members ranging in age from 11 to 19 years old, from arts schools and El Sistema programmes throughout Sweden. This autumn concert is traditionally the conclusion of a music camp held in Södertälje and Stockholm. The orchestra has now grown to over 60 members, supported by professional musicians from, among other ensembles, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. “Our vision is to show through the orchestra how far El Sistema in Sweden has come,” says Ron Davis Alvarez, conductor of the El Sistema National Orchestra. El Sistema is a model for choral and orchestral training that was developed in Venezuela. It is based on the vision of music’s capacity to help people grow socially, and to strengthen community as well as children and young people’s self-confidence and sense of identity. In Sweden, El Sistema has been present as an educational programme since 2009 and has continuously grown ever since.

Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra

The Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Christoph Gedschold, presents a profound programme: Haydn’s »Farewell Symphony« and Wagner’s »Prelude« and »Liebestod« from »Tristan und Isolde« reveal a close relationship in terms of content, as death and farewell are fundamentally related. Schumann’s 2nd Symphony is diametrically opposed to this, even though this work was composed during a period of deep crisis in the composer’s life.